The St. Johns herald., 1887-03-10
- LuOK IN THE DARK.
Befrieuded By an Elephant-A Tramp Realizes . Good Chance of Q Living.

Befrieuded By an EIephans-A Tramp
 Realizes Good Chance of a Living.
 I'm a tramp. Whether I was driven to the road by hard luck or desire to lead an easy life Is none O your business. I'm no better or worse than theaverage.
 Some men. with my advantages. would have been in Congress to-day. Some others. with my temptations, would have been in State Prison long ago.
 If the world owes me anything I'll forgive the debt. If owe the world anything she'll have 10 dust around lively to collect the debt.
 A year or two ego. wllilc was tramping in Indiana, struck 0 streak Cf hard lucS. It had como on winter. and my toes were out. my pockets ditto. and I wa3 dressed in Summer clothing.
 I tramped fourteen miles along a thlckly-settled highway one day Gnf failed to turn up even slice Of tread. On tho other hand. 1 was bitten threc times by dogs, and several farmers threatened to shoot me.
 When night fell was halffrozen and the other half starved. 1t was no use to apply to house for lodg- ings and l got my eye on straw-stack and slowed myself away.
 Now, then, there's nothing mean about 8 straw-stack, but 1t doesn't begln with 0 frst-class hotel for com fort. You may work into a stack your whole length and chink up the hole behind you and you'll find 1t cold.
 The air seems to sift in from all directions, and you fall asleep to dream of floating over cold sea on an ice berg. Tho weather was about zero and by midnight found that must get out of that or freeze to death.
 There was 0 barn about forty rods away, and crawled out and took run. One of the small doors was unlocked. and l crcpt in to find the place Q thousand times more comfortable than the stack.
 It was dark as 6 pocket In there. and I had no matches to strike light. began feeling my way across the floor, hoping to strike some bags CT blankets for cover, when suddenly something soft and warm touched my arm, glided around my waist and was lifted off my feet.
 Did yell? No. sir. was too fright ened to open my potato-trap. dropped my arms, and my hands came In contact with-what do you think1
 An elephant had his trunk around me. He pulled me gently up to him, and then felt me over with his trunk, as If to see what manner of man 1 was.
 As he offered no violence to me my nerve came back pretty soon, and patted him on the head and called him pct names. He had big stall to himself, and as soon as l could give him the slip began to back of.
 But he wouldn't have It that way. He reached out, took hold under my arms, and swung me around into his manager packed with hay, and I'm blessed If the keeper didn't find me there and fast asleep in the morning!
 was pretty we'll satisfied -that the beast had no intentions of making my tramp existence any worse than it was, and as soon as I got warm l went to sleep.
 What aroused me in the morning was that elephant trumpeting away in high dudgeon. and turned out to find that in ten feet of her. He coaxed and scolded. but she was firm.
 While she would trumpet at him she would caress me, and 1t was from my hands that she got her breakfast. You sec, she was circus elephant in winter quarters, and thero were a good many other animals in and about the barn.
 Tho long and short of 1t was. I was hired to take care of " Empress through the Winter, and should have gone on the road with her in the Spring but for my own stupidity.
 One day got drunk and stirred up @ lion with a pitchfork. He struck me through the bars of the cage, raking my left arm from shoulder to wrist, and the doctors had to amputate 1t to save my life.
 That's all, gents, and if you have an old coat, a pair of boots. or anything else to help Q tramp trim up for the coming Spring campaign shall be for ever grateful.-tDetroit Free Press.